Alexander Volkanovski has apologised to Diego Lopes for sitting on his face during Sunday’s championship blockbuster.
Australia’s greatest ever MMA fighter retained his featherweight title with a vintage performance that reinforced why he’s one of the most reliable champions in the sport.
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The fight at UFC 325 unfolded much the way analysts and fans predicted with Volk winning most of the exchanges and never letting the fight slip from his control.
And then there was Round 5.
During the final minute of the fight, Volkanovski ended up in an awkward position while escaping a leglock where he was sitting on Lopes’ face.
It was a hilarious moment for viewers that quickly became a viral meme – and something that Volk now admits he didn’t know he was doing.
“I wasn’t too worried, I just knew that I would end up on top and that’s exactly what happened,” Volkanovski explained on his YouTube channel.
“That’s when we end up in that position when I was sort of sitting on his face, which was pretty funny.
“And again, I was there. I was like, ‘I’m going to end up on top here. I’m winning.’ He’s holding on to me here. There’s not much he can do.”
“I didn’t realise my ass was actually on his face. I thought that I was sitting on his chest.
“That’s why I’m trying to swing back these punches thinking his head’s there and I’m like, ‘Why aren’t I hitting his head?’ Because I was literally sitting on his face.
“So I thought his head was maybe a little bit further out. So I apologize for that. Lopes, I didn’t know I was sitting on your face.”
“But yeah, he went for the leg and then I knew I’d get out of that and I knew there wasn’t long left and I thought I’d throw a couple of bombs and finish on top and and there it was.”
Volk also revealed that he hasn’t been quite the same since his knockout defeats to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.
He says he’s not as confident in his knowledge of if he’s winning rounds and makes sure he consults with his corner on how things are unfolding during a fight.
“Ever since the KO losses you go into these fights and you’re probably not thinking the same that I once was in there,” he said.
“It’s harder for me to judge how I’m doing in the fight.”
Volkanovski says he felt better in Sunday’s fight with Lopes, but it is still an element of his game that he’d like to work on.
“It was a lot worse in the first fight against Lopes and getting through that – I won’t get too much into it.
“[It was] Much better this time, [but it’s] still there. Still hard for me to judge how I’m doing in the fight.
“I’ll go back to the corner and say, ‘How are we doing? Are we winning?’
“… next time I’m going to completely shut that out.”
Following Sunday’s blockbuster, the Wollongong icon says he expects his next title defense to come against one of the division’s two top contenders – Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy.
Brazilian featherweight Jean Silva has also been calling for a shot at Volk’s crown, and even indicated he will train with Ilia Topuria to prepare for it.
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Volkanovski says he’d be very surprised if the UFC went in that direction.
“You’ve got Silva, obviously just probably trying to get his name out there,” Volkanovski said.
“He’s actually not a bad guy. I met him in Miami, and we got along pretty good.
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“I thought he was a pretty nice guy, but now he’s saying a couple of things. I don’t know if he really is upset with the Ruffy thing. I don’t know if that’s an actual thing or people taking it way out of context.
“But now he’s saying some stuff and thinking that he really deserves next. If the UFC will push that for me, everyone knows me.
“I’ll fight anyone, but I don’t think that’s very likely to happen.
“I don’t think he’d be in a position to be able to fight for the title, especially when you’ve got Lerone Murphy and Movsar fighting very, very soon.”